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While the roadside attraction may seem like a relic of years gone by, they remain popular fare for tourists travelling across Canada.
There are more than 30 Canadian roadside attractions that claim the title of “world’s biggest” for their respective categories, but only a handful of them actually hold the record.
Some, like Moose Jaw, Sask.’s Mac the Moose, previously held the world record only to lose it to a newly built attraction in Storelgen, Norway, while others, like Shediac, N.B.’s World's biggest lobster, were built not realizing a larger attraction already held the title.
Despite that, they remain a point of pride for many cities - with Moose Jaw readying to make Mac larger in order to take back their rightful title.
With officials from Moose Jaw and the Norweigian town set to meet today in a summit over the “moose arms race,” CTVNews.ca takes a look at how Mac stacks up against some of Canada’s other “biggest things.”
The world’s largest curling rock – Arborg, Man.
At only 2.1m tall, and 4.2m across, the world’s largest curling rock is one of Canada’s smallest “big things.”
Located outside the local rink in the town of Arborg, the rock was put up in 2005 in tribute to local high school teams who won the provincial high school curling championship back in 1948/49, 1949/50, and 1988.
The world’s largest red paper clip – Kipling, Sask.
Less than three years later, Kipling was forced to amend the name to “the World’s largest red paper clip,” after a 9m 28cm tall paper clip in Russia earned the world record.
The world’s largest beaver – Beaverlodge, Alta.
Standing 3m tall and sitting up on a 1.6m tall log, the world’s largest beaver stands near the highway in Beaverlodge, Alta.
The town unveiled the 3,000-pound statue back in July 2004 to commemorate the75 anniversary of the town’s incorporation.
The world’s largest lobster – Shediac, N.B.
Contrary to the name, the 5m tall, 11m long lobster statue in Shediac, N.B. isn’t the world’s largest lobster. In fact, it isn’t even the world’s second-largest lobster.
Commissioned in 1990 as a tribute to the lobster, the town’s economic mainstay, the statue is less than a third of the size of Australia’s Big Lobster, which was built in 1979.
Despite that, the statue attracts 500,000 visitors to the town yearly.
The Wawa goose – Wawa, Ont.
With the town’s name meaning “Wild goose” or “land of the big goose” in Ojibway, Wawa, Ont. is a fitting place for a giant goose statue.
The 8.5m tall Wawa goose held the world record for the world’s largest goose until 1973, when Sumner, Missouri stole the title with “Maxie, World’s largest goose,” a 12.1m tall Canada goose statue.
The goose now standing in Wawa is the third version, erected in 2017. Its predecessor had fallen victim to severe rust, while the original Wawa goose had been made of plaster and mesh and had to be replaced within three years.
The big nickel – Sudbury, Ont.
Built in 1964, the big nickel is an exact replica of a 1952 Canadian nickel. But at 9m tall, it’s 64,607,747 times bigger than the actual coin.
Weighing in at 13 tonnes, the world’s biggest coin serves as a monument to Sudbury’s rich history with the nickel mining industry.
The nickel now resides at the Dynamic Earth science museum, built on the site of the original big nickel facility.
Mac the moose – Moose Jaw, Sask.
Formerly the world’s tallest moose sculpture for 35 years, Moose Jaw, Sask’s Mac the Moose lost the record back in 2015 when a Norwegian town put up a silver moose statue that was 30cm taller than the 9.8m Mac.
Plans to reclaim the title of the world’s largest moose are underway, with a GoFundMe campaign launched to pay for Mac’s height increase.
Currently, the plan is to add bigger antlers, though giving Mac stilettos, skates, or an RCMP Stetson hat have also been suggested.
The world’s largest axe – Nackawic, N.B.
At 15m tall and weighing almost 50 tonnes, the world’s largest axe in Nackawic, N.B. may even give Paul Bunyan some trouble.
The axe was commissioned to show the importance of the local forest industry, and commemorates when Nackawic was named the Forestry Capital of Canada back in 1991.
A time capsule is embedded in the head of the axe, with the company that designed and built it hinting that it may be opened in time for the 50th anniversary.
The world’s largest fiddle – Sydney, N.S.
Sydney, N.S.’s harbor is home to the world’s largest fiddle, with the 18.2m tall fiddle and bow greeting incoming ships.
Named FIDHEAL MHOR A’ CEILIDH, or the Big Fiddle of the Ceilidh, the fiddle is a loving tribute to the province’s Celtic community and the folk music and traditions they brought with them.
The giant fiddle isn’t just a looker – it also plays a medley of songs arranged by a local musician.
The world’s largest dinosaur – Drumheller, Alta.
Located in Drumheller, Alta, the world’s largest dinosaur – a 25m tall Tyrannosaurus rex – towers above the surrounding Badlands.
The town, which is home to the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, unveiled the thunder lizard back in 2001, as the largest of several dinosaurs that decorate the streets of the self-proclaimed "Dinosaur Capital of the World."
Visitors can enter the landmark and climb up into the mouth of the dinosaur, which stands more than twice the size of the largest discovered remains of the actual Tyrannosaurus rex.
The world’s largest hockey stick and puck – Duncan, B.C.
Fittingly, the world’s largest hockey stick and puck can be found in Canada, adorning the Cowichan Community Centre in Duncan, B.C.
The 62.48m long, 28.12 tonne hockey stick was made from Douglas Fir beams and reinforced with steel, and was commissioned by the government of Canada as part of the Expo ’86 World’s Fair in Vancouver.
The stick was a source of dispute with the town of Eveleth, Minnesota, who unveiled their “World’s largest hockey stick” in 1995 – only to find it was just over half the size of Duncan’s stick. The Eveleth stick now claims to be the world’s largest free-standing hockey stick instead.
The world’s largest teepee – Medicine Hat, Alta.
An Olympic leftover, the Saamis Teepee was originally constructed for the 1988 Calgary Winter games, where it housed the Olympic Flame, before being moved to its current home in Medicine Hat in 1991.
Standing 65.5m high and weighing in at more than 200 tonnes, the tepee features ten circular story-boards that depict aspects of native culture and history.
The teepee overlooks the Saamis Archaeological Site – one of the most significant sites of the Northern Plains.
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Images from the Canadian Press and purecanucks [CC BY 2.0] via Wikimedia Commons
